Theses and Dissertations (Unit for Creative Writing)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/44274

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Towards a new default discourse for the earth : the poetry of Chris Mann and Dan Wylie
(University of Pretoria, 2023-08) Medalie, David; heo@hotmail.co.uk; Owen, Harry
The poetry collection To the foothills is in four parts, each representing an element of what my thesis terms the corporate world’s ‘default discourse’: Investment, Profit, Loss and Dividend. Although there is some inevitable overlap between these groupings, the poems are all underpinned by the assertion that a new language/discourse based on the natural world needs to replace the existing one of financial acquisitiveness. Towards a new default discourse for the Earth: the poetry of Chris Mann and Dan Wylie argues that our world is ecologically damaged as a direct result of human activities. The language we habitually employ – typically that of corporate concerns and priorities – goes beyond describing the world to actually creating a version of it that is assumed to be immutable. In the face of global warming, human over-population, the catastrophic consequences of being who and what we are, of what our languages have defined us to be, we need to rediscover nature’s own voice. Far from imposing a human ‘voice’ or language upon nature, we must find a way to echo, reflect and respect the many natural voices that already exist everywhere. Ironically, to get this vital message across we are obliged to use the vocabularies, syntaxes and linguistics already taken for granted. But we can rearrange these into poetry. I reflect how the growing academic fields of ecocriticism and ecopoetics lend themselves to establishing such a new ‘default discourse’. Many prominent scholars in these fields and others serve to support my contention. Using a selection of poems from several of their published collections, I show how the varied works of two major South African poets, Chris Zithulele Mann and Dan Wylie, already employ such an ecopoetic language. Despite differing in background, temperament and style, the two poets share a commitment to the importance of the natural environment and of ecopoetry as the best way to give it expression. Ultimately, and despite the bleak prospects currently facing Earth in the form of accelerating global warming and climate change, this thesis finds reasons for optimism, but it requires our adapting to changing realities. The first essential step towards such adaptation is to accept the pressing need for a new default discourse.
Displacement in selected novels by Bessie Head
(University of Pretoria, 2024-05-30) Medalie, David; frankm7071@hotmail.com; Meintjies, Frank
The poetry collection A Place to Night In features themes of place, home and belonging. The author uses his own experiences as a springboard for a wider engagement on displacement, diverse landscapes, attachment to place and sense of community. In the literary-analytical component, the author critically examines how Bessie Head grapples with displacement in When Rain Clouds Gather (1969) and Maru (1971). This theme is significant given Head’s personal struggles with displacement. It is also relevant in Southern Africa, where many people or their forebears have experienced dislocation and involuntary migration due to colonialism and other coercive political systems. Through detailed textual analysis, this study explores how the lead characters navigate displacement, including their strategies for dealing with local elites, ordinary villagers, and their inner strengths and weaknesses. Several factors influence whether the characters can overcome displacement, including power relations, dominant attitudes in the destination village, each character’s tenacity and the possibilities for developing relationships between the locals and the newcomer. The text draws on the work of scholars such as Probyn (1996), Flusser (2005), Antonsich (2010) and Lähdesmäki et al. (2016) as the study explores and apply ideas such as ‘home’ and belonging, concepts which come to the fore in any discussion of displacement.
The familiar and the familial : an exploration of personal, post-apartheid poetry written by women
(University of Pretoria, 2023-12-10) Medalie, David; Kristindd16@gmail.com; De Decker, Kristin
This dissertation explores the multivocality and multiplicity of post-apartheid, personal poetry written by South African women. By analysing selected personal poetry by Malika Ndlovu, Finuala Dowling, Koleka Putuma, Michèle Betty and Saaleha Idrees Bamjee, this discussion highlights the post-apartheid turn to the personal sphere as well as the proliferation of introspection and identity formation. In order to trace the rise of the personal and its preoccupations, the discussion is divided into ‘familiar’ and ‘familial’ subject matter, where two poems from each poet are explored, one under each category. The familiar denotes poems that engage with interiority, self-reflection and contemplation, while poems of the familial emphasise the speaker’s relationships with close acquaintances and family members. In both the poems of the familiar and the familial, the role of emotion in articulating these experiences is pivotal. This discussion thus contemplates ways that emotion shapes the content and form of the poetry. Considering emotion from a feminist perspective of affect theory allows women’s emotion to be reframed as a powerful and necessary poetic impulse. The dissertation is thematically connected to the poetry collection Midnight in the Mind, which is the creative component of my M.A. Much like the selected work of the poets, the poems in the collection largely fall into the category of post-apartheid personal poetry that is voiced by a myriad of emotions, and is intimately engaged with both the familiar and familial.
The history writer’s tale : historical fiction and the depiction of identity in Michiel Heyns’s ‘the typewriter’s tale’ and ‘bodies politic’
(University of Pretoria, 2022-12) Medalie, David; albus@mweb.co.za; Breytenbach, Albertus
This study investigates the relationship between historical fiction, history, and the portrayal of the identity of historical figures with specific reference to two novels by Michiel Heyns, namely: The Typewriter’s Tale (2005) and Bodies Politic (2008). Throughout the study the relationship between history as a discipline and historical fiction is investigated. The distinctions and boundaries between the above-mentioned genres are explored using, in part, Paul Ricoeur’s ideas about narrative - as set out in Time and Narrative (1983) and Memory, History and Forgetting (2000) - and what those ideas imply about what we choose to remember (and how we choose to remember it), what we choose to forget and why, and the role of silences in both history and narrative. In addition, Hayden White’s theories regarding the inseparability of history writing from literary tropes and characteristics such as plot, imagination and narrative voice, as expounded in Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe (1973), and the implications of this for historical fiction, are analysed and evaluated. Furthermore, Friedrich Nietzsche’s ideas on the “Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life” [1874] serve as a framework to explore the unique contribution that historical fiction can make to the popular understanding of the past. The nature of historical representation and representation of historical personae and identities in historical fiction are also investigated as well as the differing ways in which history and historical fiction deal with the question of the identity of historical figures. In the chapter on Bodies Politic Heyns’s contribution to our historic understanding of the Pankhursts, through his portrayal of their private identities, is analysed and how this portrayal takes us beyond the historical public personae, providing a more balanced picture of who they were. Thus, the accuracy and authenticity of Heyns’s portraits are explored. The chapter on The Typewriter’s Tale investigates how Heyns proceeds to strike an historically responsible balance in his portrayal of the identities of Henry James, Morton Fullerton and Edith Wharton as characters in the novel and the identities of these personae as historical figures. In addition, it explores how Heyns imaginatively bridges the gaps in the historical record or relies on creative licence to reinterpret events and characters. This study is connected to the mini-series that I scripted, Root and Bone, through a shared emphasis on historical fiction, and specifically the complexity facing the creator of historical fiction when re-creating the identities and characters of historical personae. The story is partly set in South Africa in 1914 and encompasses a wide range of historical characters, for instance: Louis Botha, Jan Smuts and General Koos de la Rey.
The master of the unsayable : an examination of Elena Ferrante's unique methods of exploring truth in her fiction
(University of Pretoria, 2023) Medalie, David; taylorfiona443@gmail.com; Taylor, Fiona
The Master of the Unsayable is an examination of Elena Ferrante's use of realism as an authorial technique, and of what 'truth' means and has the potential to mean in a work of fiction. This is done via an investigation of two of her novels, namely, My Brilliant Friend, and The Lying Life of Adults. The perception that Ferrante has the ability to write the 'unsayable' in a way that is not only believable but also masterful goes to the manner in which she writes about facts, metaphorical truths and experiential truths. The thesis examines her employment of recognisably realist techniques as well as her own unique style that pushes the boundaries of realism itself. tRuth is an original manuscript that depicts the lives of three women in post-independent ZImbabwe and then some years later in the wider world. The story explores the idea of truth with particular reference to its relationship to racism, friendship and upbringing.
A critical analysis on how the application of cinematographic tools during the screenwriting process can contribute to the visualisation of post-death Christian existence in an Afrikaans film
(University of Pretoria, 2022) Prinsloo, Tarryn-Tanille; chantevz@gmail.com; Van Zyl, Chanté
Abstract The visualisation of the post-death existence in South African films has grown over the past few years, proving that the South African screen can be a haunted place. In contrast, the romantic comedy genre has decreased from 2015 and 2016, when romantic comedies dominated South African cinema (Frassinelli 2012:37). In the past five years (2018-2022), there has not been a romantic comedy that visualises the post-death existence in a South African feature film. This study aims to identify the ways in which the Christian post-death existence is visualised in South African cinema over the last five years. Its primary purpose is to explore the visualisation process of the script, since the screenplay provides the impetus for screen visualisation. Screenwriters can produce a visually striking screenplay by using cinematographic conceptual tools while writing scripts. Comparatively, this study explores the ways in which suggested visualisations are translated to the screen. Furthermore, through a qualitative, critical reflection, this study applies its findings to the feature film screenplay that visualises the post-death existence, specifically written for the purpose of the study. This study is located in the field of creative writing and, more specifically, in the screenwriting domain. According to Adèle Ramet (2007:xi) creative writing is defined as possessing the ability to compose or produce an original literary work. Within a screenwriting context it can further denote the creation of an original literary work, written to be translated on screen. According to the University of Worcester ([sa]:1), if the goal of creative writing is to increase a writer’s confidence in their abilities, then screenwriting strives to improve the abilities of a writer from ideation to production. This study is also located in the domain of the Christian post-death existence and the visualisation thereof. The scope of the study is limited to South African films released between 2018 and 2022. Therefore, this study aims to critically assess the post-death existence, the South African Christian view of the post-death existence, cinema as theological reflection, South African cinema of the last five years, visualisation through cinematography, and visual writing within the screenplay. To further contextualise, this study interrogates the ways in which the conceptual tools of screenwriting and cinematography can be applied to the screenplay in order to visualise the post-death existence on the screen. Since a film depends on the combination of these tools, it is useful to consider the ways in which they are employed towards the visualisation of the post-death existence as a whole. The two films that are analysed in terms of their screenplays and cinematography, with a focus on the ways in which the post-death existence is visually translated from script-to-screen, are Siembamba (Roodt 2017) and Lykskou (Velts 2021). This study concludes that there is a notable use of the conceptual tools of cinematography, both in the script and screen processes, to visualise a post-death existence. Key terms: Screenwriting, Ghosts, Visualisation, Cinematography, Afrikaans, Siembamba, Lykskou, Theology in Film, Christian post-death existence
The animist ethic in Zakes Mda's The Heart of Redness
(University of Pretoria, 2021) Medalie, David; dylandc94@gmail.com; Coleman, Dylan
The dissertation component of this Master’s degree explores the animist ethic in Zakes Mda’s The Heart of Redness; more specifically it will examine how an animist cosmology underlies many of the ethical values in the text in particular those that guide an alternative to the globalising forces of capitalism through a co-operative, eco-friendly solution. By paying attention to the features in the text that could be called animist, in other words the interaction with non-human persons including plants, animals, geological features and ancestral spirits, this dissertation argues that these features are central to the transformation of the protagonist. Camagu’s journey involves a search for belonging that leads him into a network of relationships in Qolorha-By-Sea, which he can only navigate once he enters into his role as a mediator and becomes an exponent of certain ancestral beliefs. I shall argue that this role necessitates an openness and an acceptance of the ambiguity and uncertainty of certain human and non-human relationships. This ambiguity necessarily produces an attitude of openness and awareness in the novel’s central characters that informs the novel’s ecological ethic and expands our notions of inequality to include the more-than-human. Primarily, this dissertation argues that Mda imagines a way of bringing a cultural, animist, world view into the present as a conception of inequality that extends beyond the human. In accompaniment to this dissertation is my own Speculative Fiction novel, Why The River Runs, which is also concerned with what accepting an animist worldview means for my protagonists. The novel explores the mental health struggles of the main protagonist and relates them to the alienating and harmful experience of living under capitalism while also following the second protagonist’s journey through an ancestral calling to become a traditional healer, and follows both protagonists as they navigate a post-apocalyptic scenario. My novel shares several features with Mda’s including ecological issues such as connection with the land and relationships with non-human subjects. Just as Mda does, my novel weaves together this ecological ethic with traditional belief systems and discrepant attitudes towards them. Through the protagonists’ journeys they learn the importance of engaging meaningfully with others as a way of emerging from crippling isolation and inwardness while recognising identity as a process with no certain resolution.
The emotional well-being of the polygynous women in Lola Shoneyin’s novel 'The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives'
(University of Pretoria, 2020) Medalie, David; fndiyah@gmail.com; Ndiyah, Yvumbom Florence
Set against the backdrop of the “Anglophone crisis” ravaging parts of Cameroon, my novel, The Things We Don’t Talk About, centres on two young women who, through monogamous and polygamous marriages as well as extra-marital affairs, seek the identities of “wife” acceptable to their society, even as separatists in their home region battle for an autonomous political identity from the government in a country where they are the minority. Polygamy and patriarchal oppression are themes covered in Nigerian writer Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, originally published in 2010. Other relevant novels to this thesis are those by Nigerian authors, mainly Buchi Emecheta’s work 1979 The Joys Of Motherhood (2008) and Chinua Achebe’s 1958 masterpiece Things Fall Apart (2008). Reference will be made to Senegalese writer Mariama Bâ's novel Une Si Longue Lettre (So Long A Letter) (1981) originally published in French in 1980. Polygamy is still relevant in contemporary African society, especially among underprivileged women. This fact is reflected by Shoneyin who, at the end of her novel, keeps the three uneducated Alao co-wives in the oppressive polygamous marriage she has depicted, even though their husband permits them to leave. Bolanle, the educated, fourth wife, decides to divorce. While the man’s domination comes naturally in a patriarchal culture, the women’s freedom and emotional well-being are subject to conditions laid down by her society, but ones which she can control through her response to her predicament. This thesis uses Antonovsky’s theory of salotugenesis and its principles of the Generalised Resistance Resources (GRRs), as well as the theory of Africana Womanism, which is linked to feminist empathy, to demonstrate how these female protagonists adapt to and cope with the adverse circumstances of their lives, and hence work towards an identity they are comfortable with. Emphasis will be laid on the seven GRRs of Ego strength, co-wife bonding, co-wife rank, “joy in children”, education and skills, economic freedom, and spiritual intervention and their use by Baba Segi’s wives constructively to control their responses to subjugation in polygamy; only, at times the outcome is short-lived or counter-productive. “Talking” and “silence” as means of gaining emotional relief are also explored, as these characters seek to mitigate the adverse effects of being part of a polygamous household, for fulfilment in their polygamous marriages.
Resources as part of the narrative in biography. A study of the extent to which letters contribute to the narrative in biography, with reference to JC Kannemeyer’s biography Leroux : ’n Lewe and Charles Bukowski by Barry Miles
(University of Pretoria, 2016) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; peetvanaardt@gmail.com; Van Aardt, Peet Petrus
The primary research question in my study is "[t]o what extent resources such as letters contribute to the narrative in biography?. With reference to JC Kannemeyer's biography Leroux: 'n Lewe and Charles Bukowski by Barry Miles. The secondary research questions are: ? What roles do fact and fiction play in the construction of a biography? ? When can letters be trusted as the truth. Amd therefore as a 'vehicle', so to speak, to convey an accurate account? ? To what extent does an author have the right to manipulate or use official / authentic documents such as letters to complement his / her work of fiction? ? Seeing as the biographer makes a selection of letters he / she uses in the telling of the life story, does this not mean that the biographer inadvertently becomes a creator of a specific storyline? My research is comprised of three elements: an unpublished manuscript of a novel under the working title Vier en veertig, agtien, an edited collection of letters by Etienne Leroux written to famous writers and artists, and lastly a thesis written in English on the extent to which letters play a role in establishing a narrative in biography writing.
Kavalier tot Verraaier, Zombie tot Legoman : mites en die ideologiese uitbeelding van die held in geselekteerde rolprente en dramareekse oor die Anglo-Boereoorlog
(University of Pretoria, 2015) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; annamarie.jvv@gmail.com; Jansen van Vuuren, Anna-Marie
Does the hero make history or does history make the hero? This question, which N.P. van Wyk Louw posed in his 1962 radio drama, Die Held, is of utmost importance to this thesis. In Van Kavalier tot Verraaier Zombie tot Lego-man, the researcher investigates the myths and ideological presentation of the hero in selected case studies of Anglo-Boer War films and drama series, and she attempts to unmask the relevant writer or director s goal in the creation of his or her specific hero archetype. The researcher emphasises in her analysis how the Boer soldier, one of the prominent figures of the white Afrikaner history, has been transformed into a mythical hero during the past century. This archetype has belonged to the nation for quite some time and has been portrayed in such a way, especially in popular culture such as music, theatre productions and films, that certain beliefs among audiences about the Afrikaner history are emphasised. It is important to point out that this thesis provides only an overview of selective case studies, since it would take several doctoral theses to fully examine all the films, short films and drama series that have already been made about the Anglo-Boer War. The hero archetype in case studies of Anglo-Boer War film and drama series is examined within the theoretical framework of narrative, myths, ideology and identity construction. Joseph Campbell s and Carl Gustav Jung s theories on, and especially Christopher Vogler s description of, the hero archetype, as encompassed in the screenplay structure of the Hero s Journey, are some of the most important theories on which this study is based. It is not only the willing hero archetype that is highlighted, but also the anti-hero, the tragic hero, and the role of other archetypes in the plot of a chosen script. The main question the researcher often attempts to answer in her conclusion of a chapter, is: What is the meaning of the representation of heroic soldiers that are so often represented in Anglo-Boer War films and series? During the interviews that the researcher conducted with some of the directors, she discovered that many contemporary directors believe that a myth had been created around the Boer hero, and that the directors tend to identify more strongly with a character from a fairy tale (like a zombie), than with a real historical figure. And yet, judging from the reception of several films and drama series which attempted to redefine this myth, it seems that the majority of white, Afrikaans audiences still hold onto the mythical Boer hero, because this reminds them of their era of innocence , the time when they were willing heroes who fought for a righteous cause, before they became the villains of Apartheid .
Navorsing : van boere-paradjis na die dirt box in die middestad : ekokritiek en in die besonder stedelike ekokritiek as lens vir die lees van 12 gedigte oor Johannesburg se tuiste / Kreatiewe werk: Elke oomblik
(University of Pretoria, 2015) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; corne.coetzee@beeld.com; Coetzee, Corné Elizabeth
Die ekokritiek is ‟n relatief nuwe veld in die literatuurstudie, maar met groter bewussyn van die ál dringender omgewingskrisis het akademici sedert die 1990‟s meer aandag daaraan begin gee. Kort ná die vestiging van ekokritiek as legitieme studieveld, het die vertakking stedelike ekokritiek sterk begin uitbrei. In dié vertakking word gelet op omgewingskwessies wat in stede voorkom weens die aard van ‟n stadsomgewing. In hierdie mini-verhandeling word ‟n oorsig oor die ekokritiek en in die besonder die stedelike ekokritiek gebied en twaalf gedigte wat in Johannesburg as milieu het, word aan die hand van die stedelike ekokritiek bespreek. Daar word gewys op die verskille tussen ‟n biosentriese beskouing en ‟n antroposentriese beskouing van die natuur en die mens se plek daarin. Wanneer daar vanuit die ekofeministiese kritiek gelees word, kom konseptuele raamwerke te voorskyn waarin daar ‟n dualistiese wêreldbeskouing is van kultuur as “manlik” en die natuur as “vroulik”. Die ekofeminisme wys ook die vertikale organisasie van die werklikheid uit, waar ‟n mindere morele waarde aan die laer entiteit verbind word. Ekofeministiese en ekogeregtigheidskritiek hou verband met mekaar aangesien daar in albei benaderings gekyk word hoe magstrukture in ‟n omgewing gebruik word om dele van ‟n bevolking te beheer en te domineer. Vanuit ‟n psigo-ekokritiese oogpunt word onder meer gelet op mense se verbrokkelde verhouding met die natuur en die gevolge daarvan. Die raakpunte tussen die postkoloniale kritiek en die ekokritiek word in die mini-verhandeling uitgewys en pastorale, antipastorale en postpastorale tekste en lesings van tekste word ondersoek. Die twaalf gedigte word bowenal gelees vir omgewingsmatigheid – dus vir wat elke gedig te sê het oor die omgewing. Ten slotte word in die verhandeling gewys op die geleentheid vir omgewingsaktivisme wat die literêre ekokritiek bied.
Navorsing : dominees en die dood in enkele tekste van Karel Schoeman. 'n Ritueel-liturgiese verkenning / Kreatiewe werk : bergwind
(University of Pretoria, 2015) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; cas.wepener@up.ac.za; Wepener, Cas
Die kernvraag wat in die mini-verhandeling verken word, is hoe dominees in hulle hantering van die dood in enkele kreatiewe werke van Karel Schoeman uitgebeeld word en baie spesifiek hoe persone in die amp in die Protestantse tradisie (dominees en pastore) en hulle hantering van sterwensprosesse en -rituele in enkele werke van Karel Schoeman wat in Suid-Afrika afspeel uitgebeeld word. Ten einde hierdie vraag te beantwoord is ŉ keuse gemaak om na twee tekste te kyk, naamlik ŉ Lug vol helder wolke en ook ŉ Ander land. Daar is inderdaad ook ander tekste van Schoeman wat hierdie lesing sou kon dra, byvoorbeeld Die uur van die engel, maar die omvang van hierdie mini-verhandeling is egter van so ŉ aard dat daar nie reg sou geskied aan so ŉ besondere teks binne hierdie kort bestek nie. Vanuit ŉ hermeneutiese invalshoek word gebruik gemaak van ŉ sogenaamde sosiaal-wetenskaplike leesstrategie wat in hierdie ondersoek fokus op ritualiteit ten opsigte van die laaste oorgang, te wete die dood. Rituele kan as ŉ lens beskou word ten opsigte van die onderliggende oortuiging van die deelnemers aan die rituele en gevolglik word die fokus veral geplaas op die oorgangsrituele wat ten opsigte van die dood ter sprake is, asook die gepaardgaande sterwensprosesse. Teoreties gesproke word daar veral aangesluit by bestaande werk vanuit die domein van die sogenaamde Ritual Studies, spesifiek ook werk wat handel oor oorgansgrituele. Hier word spesifiek ŉ keuse uitgeoefen om nie net die werk van Arnold van Gennep en Victor Turner te gebruik nie, alhoewel hulle pionierswerk uiteraard as fondament dien, maar eerder ook werke van resente eksponente in die veld, naamlik Catherine Bell en Ronald Grimes te betrek. Die werk van Bell en Grimes word verder geaugmenteer met bestaande teorie rakende die sterwensproses en spesifiek dan ook die werk van Elizabeth Kübler-Ross. Hierdie teorie word metodologies toegepas op bogenoemde twee kreatiewe tekste deur middel van ŉ sosiaal-wetenskaplike lesing wat fokus op ritualiteit by die laaste oorgang in die lewensloop van die mens. Die mini-verhandeling sluit met enkele gevolgtrekkings en voorstelle vir verdere navorsing.
Steampunk : 'n Beskrywende studie en analise van die neerslag van die begrip op die teks Clint Eastwood van Wyk en die Moordenaarsklok
(University of Pretoria, 2015) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; pieterverwey1@gmail.com; Verwey, Pieter
Steampunk is ŉ nuwe sub-genre van wetenskapsfiksie wat sy oorsprong in 1987 gekry het toe skrywer KW Jeter die term vir die eerste keer gebruik het. Vandaar het Steampunk as ŉ subkultuur ontwikkel in ŉ magdom manifestasies wat onder andere literatuur, grafiese werk, musiek, politiek, kuns, ontwerp, mode, kulturele teorie, strokiesverhale, films en virtuele realiteit insluit, veral deur die gebruik van die internet. As gevolg van die uiteenlopende manifestasies van die Steampunk-subkultuur, is daar tans nog geen klinkklare definisie van Steampunk nie. Daar ís egter ŉ menigte beskrywings van wat Steampunk is, asook verskeie opinies binne die Steampunkgemeenskap van wat Steampunk behoort te wees, maar geen duidelike riglyne waardeur Steampunk gedefinieer kan word nie. Hierdie verhandeling se doel is om duidelike riglyne daar te stel waardeur Steampunk gedefinieer kan word. ŉ Kort oorsig word verskaf oor die chronologie van Steampunk, die oorsprong van die term self, die heersende wêreldbeskouings en definisies, die Steampunk-gemeenskap, asook die invloed van die internet op die subkultuur. Daar word verwys na oorhoofse temas soos politieke en sosiale kwessies, alternatiewe geskiedenis en teenkultuur, invloede vanuit die Victoriaanse era en veral elemente soos neo-Victorianisme, tegno-fantasie en retro-futurisme wat eie is aan die Steampunk-subkultuur. ŉ Oorsigtelike beskrywing word verskaf ten opsigte van die verskillende manifestasies van Steampunk, en sluit die literatuur, strokiesverhaalboeke, kuns, kunstenaars, skeppers, mode, musiek, byeenkomste, films, televisie en ander verwante manifestasies van die Steampunk-subkultuur in. Daar word ook gekyk hoe die begrip Steampunk manifesteer in die teks Clint Eastwood van Wyk en die Moordenaarsklok, en ten laaste word ŉ definisie vir Steampunk daargestel en word ŉ Afrikaanse woord vir die term Steampunk geskep.
Die “produksie van teenwoordigheid” in Marlene van Niekerk se kortverhaalbundel, Die sneeuslaper
(University of Pretoria, 2014) Burger, Willie; Groenewald, Anneli
Die geesteswetenskappe, en spesifiek letterkunde en literatuurstudies, loop toenemend deur onder kritiek oor die relevansie van letterkunde in die 21ste eeu. Die letterkundige Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht reken egter dat die probleem nie is dat fiksie irrelevant geword het nie, maar dat die suiwer hermeneutiese manier waarop letterkunde gelees word, gelei het tot ’n reduksionistiese beskouing van letterkunde. Gumbrecht reken dat dit moontlik is om taal op so ’n wyse aan te wend dat dit die leser weer nader kan bring aan die wêreld waarvan hy grootliks verwyderd voel. Hierdie konsep noem hy die “produksie van teenwoordigheid”, en hy identifiseer sewe wyses waarop taal kan funksioneer om só ’n “teenwoordigheidseffek” te bewerkstellig. Marlene van Niekerk se Die sneeuslaper word in hierdie studie ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van Gumbrecht se konsep van die “teenwoordigheidseffek” van ’n literêre teks. Die “produksie van teenwoordigheid” word egter in ’n spanning teenoor die hermeneutiese aspek, die betekenis of interpretasie, en teenoor die “sosiale betrokkenheid” van letterkunde ondersoek – ’n spanning wat deurgaans in Van Niekerk se oeuvre teenwoordig is. Gumbrecht se voorstel om die “teenwoordigheidseffek” van ’n teks te ondersoek, lei daartoe dat Die sneeuslaper gelees kan word as ’n bydrae tot die breër besinning oor die rol en relevansie van letterkunde, kuns en kunskritiek in ons samelewing, en die manier waarop kunswerke ervaar word. Benewens Gumbrecht se idee van teenwoordigheidsproduksie, sal daar ook aangesluit word by Wolfgang Iser se “werkingsestetika” waarvolgens hy aandui dat literêre tekste “strukture uit die werklikheid” neem en herrangskik om daardie strukture op ’n vars en nuwe wyse in die literêre teks te belig. In die proses word tekortkominge of probleme van hierdie “strukture” uit die buite-tekstuele wêreld duidelik. Met behulp van Iser se teorie, word aangedui hoe Van Niekerk in die vier verskillende verhale die leser dwing om bestaande, hermeneutiese aannames oor die letterkunde en literêre tekste te heroorweeg. Die idee dat tekste betekenis moet inhou, sluiting moet bied of noodwendig sosiopolitieke betrokkenheid moet toon word uitgedaag. In ruil ondersoek Van Niekerk eerder die mate waartoe ’n benadering wat gerig is op die “estetiese ervaring” van literêre tekste, voorafopgestelde idees en aanvaarde strukture kan belig ten einde die leser se persepsies oor daardie strukture te wysig. Daar sal aangedui word hoe Van Niekerk taal aanwend om ook ’n teenwoordigheidseffek te bewerkstellig, en in die proses die leser, soos wat Gumbrecht voorstel, vir ’n oomblik “tot stilstand dwing”.
Tipering, stereotipering en destereotipering in ’n kortverhaal; ’n ontleding van die Jona-vertelling
(University of Pretoria, 2014) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; Breytenbach, A.P.B. (Andries Petrus Bernardus), 1944-
In hierdie navorsingsessay word die rol wat tipering, stereotipering en destereotipering speel in „n kortverhaal, nagegaan aan die hand van die Jona-vertelling. Ná ‟n kort bespreking word ‟n werksdefinisie van tipering, stereotipering en destereotipering aangebied. Die boek Nahum word daarna ontleed aangesien die gedig van Nahum beskou kan word as ‟n interteks van die Jona-vertelling. Die tipering van JHWH, Nineve en die koning van Nineve word nagegaan. Dit dien as agtergrond vir ‟n ontleding van die tipiese en a-tipiese optrede van die karakters in die Jona-verhaal. Die slotsom waartoe gekom word, is dat die outeur van Jona, deur die a-tipiese optrede van die karakters, daarin slaag om die koning en inwoners van Nineve te destereotipeer. Op dieselfde wyse word die leser van die verhaal deur die a-tipiese optrede van die karakter JHWH oortuig dat hy nie altyd tot voordeel van Israel en Juda optree en hulle vyande vernietig nie.
Die omvang en funksionaliteit van voëlverwysings in die gedigte van D.J. Opperman
(University of Pretoria, 2013) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; riel.franzsen@up.ac.za; Franzsen, R.C.D. (Riel)
In die Afrikaanse letterkunde speel voëls by verskeie digters ’n belangrike rol – as simbole of metafore, of bloot as onderwerp in tradisionele natuurgedigte. Ook in die oeuvre van D.J. Opperman, een van die grootste Afrikaanse digters van die vorige eeu, speel voëls ’n belangrike rol. In sy nege bundels is daar verwysings na 32 voëlspesies en 26 voëlsoorte. In 123 uit 389 Opperman-gedigte is daar voël-verwante verwysings. Opperman gebruik voëls baie effektief as simbole en metafore om onder meer menslike emosies en handelinge te suggereer of beklemtoon. Veral in sy eerste twee bundels, Heilige beeste (1945) en Negester oor Ninevé (1947), sy laaste bundel, Komas uit ’n bamboesstok (1979), asook sy bundel-in-wording waarin hy voor sy massiewe beroerte gewerk het, Sonklong oor Afrika, figureer voëls prominent. Die voëlkundige en bio-regionale akkuraatheid waarmee Opperman verwysings na voëls gebruik om die temas van gedigte toe te lig, is bevestiging van sy besondere fyn waarnemingsvermoë en dui daarop dat hy ’n meer as toevallige kennis van en belangstelling in voëls gehad het. Veral lesers met ’n kennis van voëls behoort ’n ryke leeservaring te hê by die lees en herlees van Opperman se gedigte.
Laatvat
(University of Pretoria, 2011) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; Pienaar, Johannes Jacobus
Die “photopoem”, with specific reference to the collection Notas uit die empire In order to define the phenomenon of photopoetry, the practical experiences of the author in the production of the collection Notas uit die Empire (Notes from the empire) have been exploited. Further research has produced incontrovertible material to support the statement that photopoetry is greatly viable and could be practiced as an independent genre with its own particular dynamic. Certain aspects of photography as an art form correlate with aspects of poetry, such as affinities for certain circumstances, a possible optical subconscious, hidden information and ways to expose it, and the rhetoric of images. Aspects of poetry can augment the reading of photo’s in the same manner as the close reading and scanning of poems. Self-referenciality, polysemic potential and movement in poetry are key concepts. The tradition of ekphrasis provides certain possibilities, but has its own uniqie problems. Through the usage of photography and poetry on the same plane, the unique features of each art form are able to support and reinforce one another, to create new levels of meaning. A similar comparison exposes the limitations and weaknesses of both poetry and photography. The following conclusions are reached: ♦ Photopoems can provide solutions to the unique problems created by the practice of ekphrasis. ♦ Photography and poetry can supplement one another as each has unique features that correlate, even though both may be found at different extremes of a spectrum of art forms. ♦ The presentation of photography on the same physical plane as poetry creates a unique dynamic that differs fundamentally from that of ekphrastic poetry, or photo’s supplemented with descriptive or prosaic text. ♦ A process of scrutinising and rescrutinising of the photoand poem segments is essential for the maximal enjoyment of the photopoem. ♦ The fully integrated experience or reception delivers new levels and dimensions of meaning that are not possible by reading or looking at the photo- and poem segments in isolation. ♦ For the best functioning of the dynamic of photopoetry, care should be taken that the photo- and poem segments do not overwhelm or dominate one another. ♦ An introduction or supplementary notes are necessary to illuminate and support the dynamic of photopoetry. ♦ Critical work on photopoetry is still very rare in most literatures. Care should be taken that such criticism develop its own principles and do not fall back on the reception of, for example, visual poetry or the considerable critical corpus around ekphrasis. ♦ It can be argued that photopoetry does not fall within the parameters of ekphrasis at all, since the “work of art” involved is fully present on the same level as the text.
David Kramer – an unauthorised biography and creative nonfiction : writing an unauthorised biography of David Kramer
(University of Pretoria, 2011-10-24) Pieterse, Henning Jonathan, 1960-; mmaccani@hotmail.com; Maccani, Mario
This study is comprised of two parts: an unauthorised biography of the South African musician David Kramer, as well as a reflective look at the process of writing this biography. In this regard the following aspects were looked at closely: finding an appropriate style, biography versus propaganda, conjecturing, the bilingual nature of the text, problems of research, ethics, influences, make-believe, approach to the subject, intertextuality, and fictionalisation. The central question of the biography is to highlight the success of a fellow Worcester (the author’s hometown) boy. The central research questions of the thesis are the fictionalisation of the nonfiction text, intertextuality, and the question of a text written in both English and Afrikaans. With regard to the aforementioned fictionalisation, a biographical text is classified as “nonfiction”, because it deals with a real person and real events. However, a text such as David Kramer – an unauthorised biography presents an alternative perspective, in that the narrative often moves into fiction, or “creative nonfiction”. Written texts are traditionally divided into two fields: fiction or nonfiction. Nonfiction is deemed to be fact, truth, whereas fiction is the fruit of an author’s imagination. But perhaps the notion of truth versus untruth is too limited, and one should include the words “objectivity” and “subjectivity”. Some texts incorporate both elements, be they newspaper editorials which are mostly opinion, advertisements which are highly subjective, or biographies such as Taraborrelli’s Madonna – An Intimate Biography, which often reads as a novel. This doctoral thesis looks at David Kramer – an unauthorised biography, which is at times “faction”, to illuminate the sections where the text fell somewhere between fiction or nonfiction. In attempting this exercise, intertextuality was useful in two ways. Firstly, to ground the text in a reality the reader could believe, as it brought “real” things to the text, such as song lyrics, photographs, et cetera, all things which brought some credibility to the truth of the text, and secondly to place the events being described in a certain timeframe. The use of English and Afrikaans in the biography was to reflect that Kramer uses both languages in his songs, and furthermore, to give an idea of the South Africa at the time of Kramer’s early success: the divides of English/Afrikaans, white/black, liberal/conservative.

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